People often ask if I have found anyone famous in my line. Suffice it to say that I’m not going to appear alongside Rosie O’Donnell or Kim Catrall on “Who Do You Think You Are?” anytime soon. However, my family’s near-claim to fame is the two Jollett men who helped shape the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Most of my earliest Jolletts that I can confirm lived at some point in Orange County, Virginia. In the 1700s-early 1800s, it was a very large county, geographically speaking. Those who lived in the Upper District were forty miles from the Orange Court House; thus any business at the court house meant a two-day ride on horseback, IF the roads were even passable, and apparently they were not six months of the year. The solution to the hardship placed on those citizens to serve on juries, act as witnesses, sue or be sued, and conduct any other business at the Court House seemed obvious: divide the county.
Between 1792 and 1832, there were many attempts to do just that. Success was finally realized under the leadership of Senator Thomas Davis, who presented a petition to the State Legislature. The petitioners proposed a “compact county” between 20-30 miles long and 10-20 miles wide; the lines would run north and south from a point on the Albemarle County line between Cavesville and Barboursville to the headwaters of the Marsh Run down to the “Rapid Ann River” [now known as Rapidan] which divided the counties of Orange and Madison. Stanardsville would be the county seat. In 1838, the act passed and the new county – Greene County – was named for Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene.
Just 122 signatures. That's all. The Jolletts made their mark on history as #38 and #41 to sign. I am highlighting the names of “my guys,” those who are connected in some way to my Jolletts.
Wm C. Jennings
Hazelworth Riddle
Durret Oliver
James Lamb, Junior
Abram Eddins 5
John W. Taylor
Hiram S. Eddins
Bluford Eddins
Wm. Riddle
Fielding Riddle 10
Parks Goodall
Thornton Rogers
James Burus
St. Clair WilliamsWm. Eaton 15
Augustine Gear
Nathaniel Gear
Matthew Night
Wm Dunivan
Thomas Staton 20
John Gear
James Gear
Michael Mayers
Daniel & David Runkle
John Haynes 25
Wm Nichols
Tandy Sims
Smith Eddins
James Lamb Sr 30
Wm Lamb
William Sh
Slaton Shiflett
Joseph MorrisS. L. Goodall
Thomas J. Eddins
James Jollett Sr.
Hiram Marsh
Robert Dean 40
James Jollett Jr.
St. Clair Dean
Peter Marsh
George Thornton
Addison F. Booten 45
Gabriel Powell
Edwin Nichols
Layton F. Eddins
Absalom Morris
Daniel Bent 50
John Small
Armistead Long
John Lamb Junior
Samuel HarrisHenry Fleak
Enoch Simons
John Shiflett
Emanuel Runkle
William Dean 60
James Ancel
Wm Powell
George Shearman
John Marr
Valentine Beazley 65
Levi Morris
George Powell
Downing Smith
Tazewell Marr
Zachariah Taylor 70
Henry Warren
Bezaliel Parrott
Madison Marr
James Beazley
?? Garth 75
Hugh R. Powell
Wade H. Snow
Jonathan Price
Leland Frazier
William T. Parrott 80
Granville Kennedy
Fielding Powell
James Warren
William H. Sims
Simon Powell 85
Charles Parrott
William Rogers
John M. Sims
Robert B. Winslow
Wm. Sampson 90
Joseph Jarrell
Ransom Lamb
Albert Eaton
Stewart Marks
Thomas Tyler 95
May Haney
John Haney Junior
David Shiflet
Wm. W. Parrott
Noah Smith 100
Abraham Taylor
Wm. C. Knight
James Haney Junior
Matthew Lamb Junior
? 105
Jacob Fleak
George Dean
Sanford Dean
Cornelius Lamb
John Haney Senior 110
Wyat Snow
John Fleak
Wm Houseworth Poplar Run
John Higdon
William Willcocks 115
Jackson T. Powell 116
Mordecai Buckner 117
Thomas M. Shearman
Benjamin Anderson
John H. Melone 120
Achiles Rogers
Alfred M. Mallory
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